Fairytales Do Come True
by DemonicxAngel
Summary: Much like the classic fairytale character, Cinderella, Annabeth Chase has to put up with a step family that loathes her. When she meets an idiotic, yet loving boy who she nicknames Seaweed Brain, things get interesting.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys,**

**WOW. It's been a while, huh. I'm sorry I haven't really been posting up anything. I hope you didn't think I was dead or something. :O Anyway, I wanted to try a shot at something new because everything else I wrote, just couldn't be added upon. Well, just enjoy for now and I'll just stop talking. **

**Sorry if the chapter is somewhat short... AND, LOL, sorry for the cliche title.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the PJO characters or the Percy Jackson franchise itself. All rights go to Rick Riordan.**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

**ANNABETH**

"… And so, the princess and the prince lived happily ever after," Frederick Chase closed the cover of the book of fairytales, smiling at his daughter whom was tucked inside her bed.

"Read more, daddy," a 6-year old Annabeth Chase urged her father, her magnificently innocent face glowing with curiosity.

Frederick laughed, "It's already past your curfew, dear. Get some rest." He kissed Annabeth on her forehead and as he was about to close her bedroom light, she startled him with a question.

"Daddy, do fairytales come true?"

"Of course, dear," Frederick replied, hesitantly, a smile plastered on his face in order to not disappoint his only daughter.

"I'm so happy to hear that, dad… Mom will come back then?"

"I'm afraid she will never return, dearest," Frederick lowered his head and begrudgingly shut the lights off on his daughter before she could ask more questions.

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><p>My name is Annabeth Chase. I'm just your average sixteen-year old girl attending an ordinary high school. But I've got bigger dreams than just ending up your typical businesswoman. I aspire to be an architect. Enough of that, I'm athletic and I love to read, even though I'm dyslexic. My friends call me a bit of a tomboy, but I have reasons for that.<p>

I have struggled my entire life without a real mother. When I was almost 6, my mom was killed in some freakish car accident. Even when my stepmother had moved into the picture, she couldn't substitute for my mother. You wouldn't believe how awkward it is and was for me to learn about puberty by myself.

I was brought to earth by a kick in the behind.

"Annabeth, hurry up!" Rachel exclaimed, waving her manicured fingers in the air, "Get me my lemonade. And put five ice cubes in it. No more, no less. Or else I'm telling mom."

"Sure thing, Rachel…," I seethed, succumbing to my stepsister's demands. I hated how weak I was. Always being pushed and worked by my stepsisters, Rachel and Nancy.

It had been 5 years since Dad died. My stepmother, who I'm sure married him for wealth, hates me, and doesn't care about whatever happens to me. Dad had been the chief of the local fire station, a hero and role model to all. When he put his own life down for the safety of others, I was devastated. Who was going to watch me grow up?

"ANNABETH, FOR THE LAST TIME, STOP BEING SUCH A SLUG," Rachel shouted.

"I HEAR YOU, FOR THE LAST TIME, WHY DON'T YOU DO THIS GODDAMN WORK YOURSELF?"

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"Nothing…"

"That's what I thought," Rachel said smugly, plugging her earphones back into her ears and reading a Twist magazine.

I went to the kitchen to retrieve her desired objects and then sat on the floor to fan myself. I was overwhelmed by the summer heat. Our house, correction, my dad's house, had Air conditioning, and the only problem was that I'm not allowed to actually use it. In fact, even if I wanted to, Rachel and Nancy would sit right in front of the vents like the lards they are.

"Yoo-Hoo! I'm home, girls!" my stepmother, Beatrice, hollered. First off, she's an incredibly disfigured woman who wears too much make-up. I honestly have no idea why my dad found her so attractive. And second, I don't understand why she dresses in tank tops and short-shorts because just seeing her like that reminds me of a fat old man in a speedo. Anyway, back to reality.

"Mommy," My two teen stepsisters cried, running to their mother. Beatrice looked up at me from her two daughters, "Ugh, she's still here, I can't believe it."

"I'm your stepdaughter, and you're living in my father's house. You're one to talk."

"Don't get wise with me, you scrawny, little unappreciative rat."

"I'd rather be an underfed rat than a fat hippo like you," I retorted. Beatrice sneered, unable to retaliate. Yep, so this was my life.

"Why didn't I send you to the orphanage?" Beatrice groaned.

"Why didn't you? Life would've been better there. At least I wouldn't be a slave."

"Now I remember why I kept you," Beatrice and her daughters grinned, laughing at her stupid remark.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't wait until I'm in college, away from this miserable life.

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><p><strong>So,<strong>

**What do you think of it so far? Next chapter will be in Percy's point of view. And just so you know, it takes place in an Alternate Universe (AU fanfic). Thanks for all of your support, everyone.**

**With love,**

**Tina**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi again!**

**Yay, 2-day update. Or is it 3? I've never really been great at math. :P Anyway, back with another chapter to my story, and I made it a bit more lengthier, which I hope everyone will be happy about. :D Without further ado... enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the PJO characters, blah, blah, blah.**

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

**PERCY**

"Percy," Poseidon called from the bottom of the stairs. I quickly opened my anatomy textbook, shoved my marine biology magazine into my desk drawer, and grabbed a pencil, pretending to be immersed in the textbook's contents. _Oh crap, that was close. _My father waltzed into my room.

"Ah, studying, my son? I'm proud of you."

"You know it, dad," I gave him a thumbs up. My skills at lying have grown to surprising heights after my entry to high school.

"That's my boy. You'll turn out as the successful CEO of a globally recognized company. I can see that in your future. I'll leave you at work, Percy. Study hard."

"Thanks, dad…"

He flashed me a smile and closed my bedroom door as he left. I sighed and rubbed my temples. How was I going to continue on like this? I needed to break the news to him.

For as long as I could remember, I've always been fascinated by oceanic life. One may assume that my father, Poseidon, with his name, also shares the same love for sea creatures as I do; when in truth, he thinks they're revolting animals that take up space that could be used for human expansion.

I've always wanted to be a marine biologist ever since my class trip to the aquarium in second grade. During the whale watching portion of my class trip, I sneaked out of the audience and found a ladder that led to the rim of the whale tank. I nearly climbed into the tank with the whale trainer and the orca, but, luckily, I was pulled out by some worker at the aquarium before I could have possibly caused any trouble. The orca nudged my hand with its snout before I was led down the ladder. Needless to say, I've loved sea creatures since.

I closed my eyes and grin at the memory, letting go of all the pressures of life.

"Percy," my father's voice is faint. My eyes snap open. _What did he want now?_

"What?" I called irritably. I was just starting to relax too.

"Your cousin is here to see you." I hear the thudding of footsteps rounding up the staircase. I smile excitedly. The door to my bedroom is flung open, and Thalia Grace stands in the doorway. I've been seeing her more often because she recently moved to my neighborhood, and now, we will be attending the same highschool.

"Hey, cuz," she smiles warmly. Her electrifying blue eyes scan my room. Thalia wrinkles her nose in disgust, for comic effect. "What the heck happened in here?"

"Sorry, you know I'm not the neatest guy around," I laugh. It's true. My room is cluttered and unorganized. The socks I wore yesterday are draped on my lamp. A pizza box with a half-eaten slice lay under my bed, but a corner of the box was sticking out, and that caught Thalia's eye. She walked over to my bed and lifted the pizza box up from under a mess of other things. A color-by-numbers book that was no longer in use fell from the top of the box onto the floor, scattering some of its pages. Old, melted crayons rolled onto the floor from within its pages. Well, you get the point.

"Seriously, Percy?" she asked, waving the smelly box in my face.

"It's not my fault, I was going to eat it last week, but I guess I forgot," I said lamely. Thalia laughed.

"Yeah, I could totally tell," Thalia commented, opening the box to reveal a moldy pizza slice. I almost gag at the sight of the rotten food, and I could tell Thalia was fighting down her lunch.

"… That was disturbing," I take the box from her and close the lid, tossing it into my trashcan.

"Might as well throw out everything in your room as well," Thalia joked.

"Did you come here to criticize my room?"

"No. I just wanted to compare our schedules for the school year." Thalia takes out a black binder from the messenger bag that she propped against the door. Right, school starts tomorrow. I walk over to my neatly stacked school supplies in the empty corner of my room and tug out my turquoise colored binder from the bottom of the stack. Thalia laughs as the tower of supplies topple. I gritted my teeth in frustration. Well, at least it _was _neat. I didn't bother fixing it.

Inside of our binders' cover sleeves are our schedules. Thalia and I only have five classes together each week, to our disappointment. We would get to see each other every day during lunch, fortunately. Thalia's cellphone vibrates in her bag and she reaches for it as she packs away her binder.

"I've got to go. Dinner," Thalia said as she answered her phone. She departed with a wave and slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, leaving my room for the stairs. I didn't feel like eating dinner. I closed my bedroom door after Thalia and opened my desk drawer to finish reading my marine biology magazine. I smiled secretly. I felt like a rebel.

After finishing the magazine, I put it back in my drawer, and then proceeded to jamming my school supplies into my backpack for tomorrow. I lay on my bed, and before I knew it, I was asleep, eagerly waiting for a new day to start.

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><p><strong>Just a heads up, the next few chapters may not be posted for some time because I have to be studying for some huge exam.<strong>

**Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. And I'd appreciate it if you review. :D**

**With Love,**

**Tina**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hola! :P**

**What's up guys? Just finished another chapter and decided I'd post it up. There's nothing much to say, just that 8th grade isn't as easy as I thought it would be. :D**

**Well, I hope you like this chapter. :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the PJO characters.**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

**ANNABETH**

"It's mine!"

"No, it's mine!" I woke to the shouts of my arguing stepsisters. Apparently, Rachel and Nancy were fighting over a gold necklace, with a small genuine diamond encrusted into it. I didn't care the least what they were doing.

I trudged my feet as I walked to my bathroom. Today was my first day at a new highschool, and the situation was the same for my stepsisters. I needed to make myself look presentable.

I started by brushing out my knotted hair and tying it into a casual ponytail. Then, I put on a grey Abercrombie shirt that was handed down to me from Rachel, and started to fit Nancy's old skinny jeans onto my legs. I thought of my dad. He would have never allowed me to wear clothing passed down from my stepsisters. He loved me and he spoiled me. A lump begins to form in my throat as I think of him.

I pushed aside the thought of my father and put on grey Converse shoes while sitting on my bed. I wasn't complete just yet. I looked around my room to see if anyone was watching me. The coast was clear.

I reached under my bed and pulled out a small red velvet box, opened it, and took out two small objects. Two silver owl earrings. My mother had given them to my father for safe keeping when I was five. He finally gave me the earrings when I was ten, and I've worn them over the years since then. I always try to make the earrings seem insignificant and worthless when I'm around my stepsisters, knowing that Beatrice would not care to stop them if they tried to steal it.

Clipping the earrings onto my ears, my blood began to rush. I was excited to start school. I slowly walked down the stairs with an old backpack that I had to use over the years since my father's death. Every year, I would have to stitch back the holes in my bag for reuse in the following year. I know, my life is pretty bad. But I'll have to put up with it until I go away for college.

"ANNABETH!" Beatrice screams from the kitchen. My bedroom is in the attic, the third floor, and the kitchen is on the first floor, which meant she screamed pretty loud. I rushed down the remaining flights to the first floor and found that Beatrice, Rachel, and Nancy had already eaten breakfast and were ready to leave the house. Why was I not surprised?

I looked at the clock that hangs above the calendar in the kitchen. It read 7:31 AM. I had to be at school by 7:45 AM. I reached for a muffin.

"Nuh-uh-uh," Beatrice smiles cruelly as she slaps my hand away from the plate of warm muffins. She pointed at oily dishes that needed washing. I groaned.

"Please, not now. School starts soon," I pleaded. Rachel and Nancy had already left the house a minute ago. Beatrice did not relent, but instead cast her cold dark eyes on mine.

"School starts soon for Rachel and Nancy, but not for you. You will stay and wash our plates, and maybe, I will allow you to have breakfast."

I sighed, giving in, and scrubbed all of the dishes until they were free of grease. Beatrice supervised me and made sure that every plate was squeaky clean. After I was finished, I grabbed my backpack from the dining room chair I had left it on, and walked back to the kitchen, extending my arm to grab the muffin I had rightfully earned. Beatrice snatched the plate away from my reach and ushered me towards the door.

I guess there's no breakfast for me.

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><p>By the time I got to school, it was 8:09 AM. I was obviously late. I held my schedule in one hand and took a while to decipher the words on my sheet, as I was dyslexic. First period was English. I easily made my way to my classroom, as the hallways were empty. I opened the door.<p>

The first two people to notice me are Rachel and Nancy. They grinned and pointed at me. The teacher, a lanky woman with dark brown hair, smiled at me.

"You must be Annabeth. I'm Ms. Smith," she said, and with a look of disgust, she adds, "You're late."

"Sorry, the bus I took to get here was stuck in traffic," I lied. My stepsisters snickered.

"Well, try not to be late anymore," Ms. Smith nodded, and she pointed to an empty seat in the back row of the classroom. "You will be sitting there."

Just as I was about to pass the first row of seated students, a leg jetted out in front of me. Unable to react quickly, I tripped over the leg. My knee banged against the classroom floor loudly. I gathered myself and angrily rush past the person who tripped me, Rachel. A majority of students in the class laughed at my expense. I sat myself down next to a boy with shaggy black hair and startling green eyes, someone I recognize as a person who did not laugh at me.

I muttered unintelligible things under my breath. This day just couldn't get worse.

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><p><strong>Oh no!<strong>

**Annabeth isn't exactly having the most wonderful day, is she? Damn you, Beatrice! :(**

**Please review, and thank you for supporting me, everyone, with all of your views!**

**With Love,**

**Tina**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! **

**I tried to lengthen the chapter up a bit. But I think I failed. o_o**

**Don't really have much to say, so. Enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the PJO characters. Although, it would be awesome if I did.**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

**PERCY**

"Hi," I carefully greeted the pretty blonde girl after she took a seat next to me. She didn't seem to be having a great day.

"Hi," she replied simply, not caring to introduce herself. Well, it was worth the try.

I watched the blonde as she unpacked a white binder and some pencils from her bag. Even when she turned her head to meet my eyes and began to stare back at me with an eyebrow raised, I continued to stare. Wow, awkward. I focused my eyes on the open binder that lay on my desk. Damn my ADHD.

I squinted my eyes at the lesson on the chalkboard that Ms. Smith was giving. I couldn't read it. No, I didn't have anything wrong with my vision. I'm dyslexic. The words appeared to me as squiggly lines, strange symbols that I've seen my entire educational life. Of course, I could read words, but a lot slower than the average reader.

I looked to my left, where the blonde was sitting. My eyes lowered to what she was writing in her binder. Her handwriting was in cursive, which made my head sort of hurt. She turned to face me again and saw me looking at her notes. She smirked.

"Are you trying to copy off of me?"

"Why would I? You're a blondie," I deadpanned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she glared at me and continued, "That stereotype doesn't apply to me."

"Geez, I was kidding. Sorry." Thalia, sitting directly in front of me, turned her head to see who was chewing me out, and grinned, clearly amused.

"We started off on the wrong hand," I whisper-explained to the blonde girl after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"Foot," she corrected.

"Whatever," I grumbled, "Anyway, my name's Percy." I offered her my hand to shake. She didn't take it. I pulled back my hand.

"Fail…" I heard Thalia say. Her head was still turned to spectate our lame conversation.

"I'm Annabeth," the girl, identified now as Annabeth, mumbled. She cast down her brilliant silver colored eyes. I was about to attempt starting a non-pathetic conversation with her, but a loud ring from the school-bell indicated that we needed to switch classes.

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><p>I found out that Annabeth was in every class of mine before lunch. I didn't pay attention to her much, except for when our science teacher, Mr. Miller, assigned Luke Castellan to be her chemistry partner. I sort of hate him. He's a kind, smart, and charismatic guy, but underneath all of that perfectness, I just feel that he's a fake. And no, I'm not jealous of him. I'm definitely not. In fact, he should be jealous of me! Actually, now that I think about it, that wasn't a particularly true argument…<p>

I heard a giggle. Was that Annabeth? I looked past my partner, some dopey kid who continuously wiped his runny nose on his sweater, and saw that Annabeth was, indeed, laughing. I grunted. I couldn't help but feel like a total failure because while Luke could draw out a laugh from Annabeth in a casual conversation, I could only bring out a few words from her, and her impression of me probably wasn't very good.

I strained to hear what they were saying. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear them over shouts and my classmates sharpening their pencils in the loud electric sharpeners. I sighed.

"And so class, without further ado, you are dismissed," Mr. Miller concluded, and added as a crowd of students headed toward the exit, "Don't forget, your assignment is due tomorrow!"

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><p>It was time for lunch. When I entered the cafeteria, I immediately saw Thalia sitting in a table nearby with some friends. Among them was Annabeth. I sat in between her and Grover Underwood, seeing as that was the only available spot left.<p>

"Hi Percy," Thalia said, greeting me, "Look who I asked to join us." She wiggled her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes in return. "Don't be rude. Introduce yourself."

"We've met."

"Alright, that's fine by me. Annabeth, meet Perseus Jackson, the clumsiest, most dense guy you could ever meet. His favorite hobbies include wading through the ocean in his dolphin-patterned swimming shorts and watching Disney's classic, The Little Mermaid," Thalia announced smugly.

"Wow, Thalia, that's actually a really accurate description of Percy, over here," Grover neighed like a goat, supporting Thalia.

Annabeth laughed. I blushed, embarrassed. Her stomach growled loudly, and then a shade of pink crept up her face. It was my turn to laugh.

"Didn't you eat this morning?" I teased.

"No, not really," she answered, her lips pressed into a tight line.

"Here, take this, then," I said, pressing the sandwich I had looked forward to eating into her hand, "I wouldn't want you to go hungry or anything."

"Thanks…" she smiled gratefully at me, but pushed the sandwich back into my hand, "But no thanks."

After I overcame the shock at how generous and selfless I had been toward Annabeth without actually thinking, my friends began to officially acquaint themselves with Annabeth.

"My name is Thalia Grace, as you already know, and I love to eat," Thalia said, chewing on a chicken drumstick that she had brought from home.

"She also has the tendency to annoy me and is extremely afraid of heights," I added. She glared at me and stuck out her tongue shamelessly, with chicken pieces stuck to it. I shuddered with disgust.

"I'm Nico di Angelo," my friend, Nico, said, and pointed at the girl sitting next to him, his sister, "This here is Bianca, my older sister. You know, I found out just yesterday that she likes this dude named-" Bianca's hand clamped over his mouth.

"I can introduce myself, you know."

"Well, too bad. You'd probably bore Annabeth anyways," Nico smirked. Bianca pinched some of his arm flab and he yelped.

"I'm Grover Underwood," my best friend announced, and he pulled closer to him his girlfriend, Juniper.

"And I'm Juniper Ivy," Juniper waved shyly at Annabeth, "we're a couple, just so you know."

Calypso, a girl that joined our group recently, was the last to introduce herself, "My name is Calypso, but you can call me Cally." She swept her braided caramel colored hair over her right shoulder, smiling gently at Annabeth. Annabeth appeared to be staring at her strangely. Our table was charged with tension. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat next to Annabeth.

A bell rang in the distance, indicating that lunch was over. Thalia, who was also probably uncomfortable under Annabeth's menacing stare, sighed in relief when she heard the bell.

I scarfed down my somewhat squished sandwich and followed my classmates out the cafeteria.

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><p><strong>How was it? Please review. :D<strong>

**Thanks, **

**Tina~**


	5. Chapter 5

**HIYA!**

**What's up, people? Oh god, that big exam I've been talking about will be in two weeks. TWO. FREAKING. WEEKS. Gah! I will have to compete with tens of thousands of applying students to make it into the highschool of my choice. You could say that I'm under some stress right now.**

**ANYWAY... I hope you enjoy this chapter, because it was fun to write. :P**

**DISCLAIMER: All PJO characters are owned by Rick Riordan.**

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

**ANNABETH**

I made my way outside through the crammed corridors of the school. The last class of the day had finally ended, and it was time to go home. Which, honestly, I wasn't looking forward to doing.

Rachel and Nancy were probably going to head home right now, so I decided to linger around the school; perhaps get something to eat.

A vending machine packed with snacks stood outside the open doors of my highschool. I looked through the selection of snacks. Chocolate chip cookies, just what I was looking for. I popped a few quarters into the vending machine coin slot, punched in the letter-number combination for the cookies, and waited for my snack to arrive.

_Plop_. I reached through the opening of the vending machine and teared open the bag, hungrily stuffing the food into my mouth. I had finished the bag quickly, wiping whatever crumbs remained on my face with the back of my hand.

Well, time to head home, I guess. The crowd of students that had been standing at the entrance of my school were now gone. About ten minutes had passed since dismissal.

Taking my time, I walked home slowly. I thought about all of the new people I met today; Luke, Thalia, Nico, Bianca, Grover, and Juniper.

And… Calypso, of course. I didn't really like her for some reason. She's actually nice, but I just didn't like the way she eyed Percy. _But why should I care?_ _I don't care about a boy who I don't really know_, I reassured myself.

As far as I knew, Luke Castellan was amazing. He's good looking, intelligent, and athletic. He's a way better option for me than some annoyingly cute boy with black-hair and green eyes. Speaking of Percy…

When I bent down to tie my Converse shoe laces and looked behind me, sure enough, he was there. Wait, he was there? I fixed my eyes on him. He was a good ten feet away, walking towards me.

"Percy? What are you doing here?" I inquired. Did he follow me here?

"What are _you_ doing here?" He repeated, bouncing the question back at me.

"I'm walking to my house, you stalker."

"What? I am not! In fact, I didn't even know you were walking ahead of me until you called my name," Percy huffed, "As for your question, I am also walking to my house."

"You didn't see me and I was about ten feet away from you. That, my friend, is total ignorance."

"You can't expect me to see you if I'm being distracted by all of the colorful signs planted along the sidewalk," He whined, biting his lip shortly after, as if he had let out a secret he had meant to keep.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain sometimes," I laughed a bit.

"Well… well, you're a Wise Girl," he shot back, pathetically. I raised my eyebrows at him quizzically.

"Wise Girl? Is that the best that you could come up with?" I challenged him.

"Yeah," Percy said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms and pouting like a child. I stifled a laugh. He looked ridiculous.

After a few minutes of walking together in silence, he said, "You know who you remind me of?"

"Who?"

"Thalia, of course," he nodded, as if it were obvious.

"And why is that?"

"You two love to torture me. I could already tell that you and Thalia will get along just fine."

I slapped him on the arm, "That's not very nice. You know I don't torture you."

"Says you. We just met today and you're hitting on me. You meanie."

"I'm not hitting on you, Seaweed Brain," I rolled my eyes, but laughed, "I'm hitting you. There's a difference."

"Well… whatever, okay? You're so irritatingly smart, you know that?" Percy grinned, "And you know what I meant by that." I laughed.

"I'd better be going, my house is right here," he said, pointing at a simple blue-roofed house. I recognized it immediately.

"This is your house?" I asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, why?" he replied, confused.

"I live across the street from you!" I said. How did we even end up at my street? Was I so absorbed into my conversation with Percy that I didn't even notice that we arrived at our street?

"Are you serious? Wow," Percy said, surprised.

"No, are _you _serious? I've lived here all my life and I've never seen you. Not even once."

"The thing is, my mom sent me to live with my dad for a while here over the summer, you know, because they're divorced," he explained, his eyes turning dark as he said the word, 'divorce', "But, uh, during the summer, I didn't really go out much, so I spent my days staying home alone and talking to my friends back where I lived with my mom."

"Aw, you're such a mommy's boy," I cooed, teasing him.

"I don't really have much of a choice, besides, my father was never around for me during my childhood," he replied, sadness evident in his face. I instantly regretted what I had said.

"I grew up most of my life without a mother. I sort of get where you're coming from," I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. We stood quietly in front of his house until he finally spoke up.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you live across the street from me," Percy grinned, "I could really use some help on my homework."

"Who said I was going to help you, Seaweed Brain?" I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Aw, don't be like that," he said, and making a puppy face, he added, "Have a heart and please help this guy out."

"This dumb guy," I teased. He laughed at my remark, even though it was meant to offend him.

"Whatever, Wise Girl," Percy smiled crookedly, "See you tomorrow, neighbor."

"Yeah, see you," I said. Percy turned to walk up the steps to his porch and took out his keys. As if he knew I was watching him, he turned around and waved at me. That was my cue to leave.

I took long strides across my lawn and unlocked the front door to my house, revealing an indignant Beatrice. I was late by an hour, but I didn't care. Because talking with Percy oddly made my day.

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><p><strong>AWWWW. :D<strong>

**So, what'd you think? I liked this chapter for some reason. ;) Meh. Signing off. Please review! :)**

**Tina~**


	6. Chapter 6

**HOLA! Check out my fail Spanish. :P**

**Just took the test last Sunday. It was easier than I expected, but nonetheless, I cannot judge how well or how poorly I did.**

**Sorry for the delay in updating guys. I should be able to update more regularly now.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the PJO characters. **

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

**PERCY**

"She's coming," Thalia confirmed, snapping shut her cellphone. I had been staring at a smudge on the wall of Thalia's bedroom for five minutes straight, and I had no clue what she was talking about.

"Who?"

"Annabeth, duh," Thalia replied, "To Luke Castellan's barbeque party? Remember?" I stared at her, blankly, not registering her words. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Apparently, you don't," she sighed, "Okay, let me explain this again for you. Luke has invited the entire student body to his house to celebrate the ending of the first week of school. His parents have a lot of moola, you know, money, and because of that, he will be able to host a party that involves every student in our small high school. Ring a bell?"

"Kind of," I said. I still couldn't believe the school week had passed by so rapidly. It was already Saturday, for crying out loud. And I also wasn't able to take in the fact that Annabeth lived right across the street from me.

"Anyway, we're going to Luke's place this afternoon, at two," Thalia said, flopping onto her bed. Since I was sitting on the edge of it, I bounced a bit from the impact.

"How'd you get Annabeth's number anyway?" I asked curiously. I tugged at a loose thread hanging from Thalia's bed sheets while she thought of a response.

"To be honest, I didn't really ask her for her number. I copied it down while I was looking through her binder," Thalia admitted, "But I _swear_, I was only checking out her binder to copy down the homework. I totally didn't cheat off of her or anything." I gave her the 'like-I'm-going-to-believe-that' look.

"So, do you wanna play Monopoly?" Thalia asked, changing the subject.

"You know that I suck at that game."

She shrugged, "That's the reason why I play Monopoly with you. Besides, I don't want to sit around doing nothing for like, two hours."

"Oh quiet, you."

Thalia laughed at me, pulling out a Monopoly game board from beneath her bed.

"I wonder what you've got down there."

"Believe me, you wouldn't want to know," she winked, and with that, we began the game. Within ten minutes, she owned nearly all the properties and I was bankrupt. We continued to play more rounds of Monopoly, even though Thalia beat me each time. Before we knew it, it was two o' clock.

"Time to leave to Castellan's," Thalia said happily, heading to the bathroom to change into her outfit.

"Great, we might as well leave at three o' clock. You always take so long."

"Shut up."

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><p>Luke's house was grander that I had imagined. Well, I should have expected it. After all, he lived on the rich side of town. Thalia stood next to me before two tall gate doors connected to a fence enclosing the Castellan estate. Yeah, can you believe it? Gates. A golden letter, C, was centered in between the two gates.<p>

"How do we get in?" I asked stupidly.

"You scream until someone comes to open the doors, duh," Thalia deadpanned, "Nah, just press that button over there beside the gate, and someone should come to get us."

I did as instructed and the doors automatically opened up. Wow, fancy. Thalia and I continued to follow a path that led to the entrance of a humongous house. Yeah, I guess you could call it a mansion. We rang the doorbell.

Luke swung the door open, "Hey guys! Come on in. We've got food and drinks in the kitchen. The games room is downstairs and there's a swimming pool in the backyard. The burgers and hotdogs are still defrosting so for now, we'll just have to wait for the barbeque."

"Where did you say the food was again?" Thalia questioned.

"Kitchen," Luke replied, jabbing his thumb behind his back.

"Alright. See you," she waved him off and stormed into the house. I followed her lead. I bumped into every classmate of mine on the way to the kitchen with Thalia. Some waved. Either at me or Thalia, I will never be sure.

When we finally made it to the kitchen through the crowd of students, Thalia rushed forward and bumped fists with Nico and Grover. Then, she waved to the remainder of our group; Bianca, Calypso, and Juniper. Apparently, Annabeth wasn't with them.

"Hey guys!" she spoke quickly and excitedly, "So, uh, where's Annabeth?"

Nico shrugged, "We saw Annabeth before and we said hi. She was going to chill with us, but Luke had some other plans for her and dragged her away." My jaw clenched at the mention of Luke's name.

"Oh, that's too bad," Thalia said, disappointed. I probably looked disappointed too, because Thalia added with a wink, "Annabeth would have provided Percy with some great company, I'm sure."

I felt my face flush. Everyone laughed, but Calypso didn't really join in. I wondered why, and I pondered my feelings for her. Ever since I've met her, we've become pretty close friends. We never really insult each other, and this one time, we even came close to kissing. Well, that was only because Thalia shoved me into her face, and fortunately, I stopped before our lips could make contact. I was brought back to reality with a pat on the back from Grover.

"Dude, you okay? You zoned out for a while," Grover asked, a bit worried.

"Probably thinking about Annabeth," Thalia chirped.

"I just met her this week, Thals," I muttered.

"Ever hear of love-at-first-sight, Perce?" Grover joined in on the joke. I rolled my eyes.

We all spent the next ten minutes talking about who knows what. Our conversation never lingered on one topic for more than a minute, and somehow, at the end of our ten minute group-talk, our main focus of the conversation was on eco-friendly toilet paper.

"I fully support the use of tubeless toilet paper rolls," Grover bleated, "However, I fail to see how we're going green. We're still wasting paper."

"Well, you can't really recycle used toilet paper," Nico argued, "There really is no way to go green with toilet paper."

"You know, you're so weird sometimes, Nico," Thalia shook her head.

"That's not nice," Nico frowned, offended, "As far as I'm concerned, you're the weirdo." Thalia swatted at him and he ducked.

Luke appeared at the doorway, "Alright guys, it's time to head outside. We've got ourselves a barbeque."

Thalia clapped her hands, joyfully, "The party has just begun. C'mon, let's go." She charged through the mass of students like a quarterback to get to the backyard, leaving us behind in the kitchen.

"We can't eat meat, so all of you can go on without us," Grover said, staying put in the kitchen with Juniper.

Nico, Calypso, Bianca and I joined the students who were walking out onto a well-tended lawn. I caught sight of a couple blonde girls splashing in the pool and I couldn't help but think about Annabeth. Where was she? And what was she doing?

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><p><strong>So, what'd you think? 8D<strong>

**Not my favorite chapter, but there are lots more stuff to come along, that's for sure.**

**Again, sorry for the late update. Please review, everyone. :D **

**Thanks, **

**Tina**


	7. Chapter 7

**OMG, I'm very, very, very, very, very, very sorry everyone! D:**

**I just haven't had any inspiration for this story, the past few months, until today. It just came to me. Like, BAM. And then, here I am with another chapter to this story.**

**I'm truly sorry for the wait, I remember promising you all for weekly updates, but unfortunately, I didn't keep it. Again, sorry. Hopefully, I can get the next chapter finished within the week. Hopefully.**

**Happy belated New Year! May 2012 bring you happiness and prosperity! And perhaps some love. :P**

**I made this chapter a bit lengthier than usual, as a peace offering... xD **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any PJO characters.**

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

**ANNABETH**

It was definitely weird being in Luke's bedroom. He had brought me up half an hour ago, and left me here to greet his guests. But no, I wasn't alone in his room. Luke's popular friends were with me. We were all sitting in a circle surrounding the edge of his bedroom rug. And boy, was it awkward.

"So," Travis Stoll, one of Luke's friends, began, "What's your name?"

"Dude," Connor Stoll, Travis' brother, interrupted, "Luke already told us her name. She's Annabeth, dumbo."

"Jeez, bro. I was just trying to start a conversation. Besides," Travis sighed, "This room is dead."

"You speak of the truth, brother," Connor said.

"You two just made it more awkward," Charles Beckendorf announced. Silena Beauregard, his really pretty brunette girlfriend, nodded silently in agreement.

"Well, at least we tried to talk," Travis countered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, excuse us for being antisocial," Beckendorf muttered sarcastically.

Connor, who heard this, grinned and "excused him." Beckendorf rubbed his temples in annoyance. Before the awkwardness could escalate, Luke poked his head through the opening of the door, startling Travis, who was biting his nails.

"Dude, you should really knock," Travis said, regaining his composure, "Almost gave me a heart attack there."

"My bad," Luke said, closing the door. He knocked and then reopened the door, "That better?"

"Yeah," Travis laughed.

"The burgers and hotdogs are going to be grilled now. Join me," Luke turned and left, not bothering to see who followed him. And of course, we all followed him, down the stairs to his backyard.

* * *

><p>Luke's backyard was as equally beautiful as his home. A rectangular pool and a circular jaccuzzi tub lay in the middle of a humongous green bed of grass.<p>

Some jocks and cheerleaders that Luke had introduced me to earlier were lounging in the jaccuzzi. I noticed two redhead girls hanging around the group. Rachel and Nancy. Those wannabes.

My eyes changed its focus to the pool. Immediately, I recognized the raven-haired boy who sat by the poolside with his legs in the water. Percy. I walked over to him, paying no attention to Luke's friends.

"Perseus," I greeted him, hoping to annoy him.

"Please don't call me that, Annie," Percy said, clearly agitated. I had successfully achieved my goal.

"What're you doing here, all alone?" I asked, taking a seat next to him and rolling up my jeans so that I could put my legs in the water.

"Thalia, Nico, Bianca, and Calypso are getting something to eat," he answered, "And why aren't you with your _friends_?"

"I'd very much rather be with you guys," I admitted.

"Aw, you just melted my heart," I turned my head and looked up to the person who joined in on our conversation. Thalia, of course. She stood over us, burger juices flowing from both sides of her mouth. Swallowing her bite, she grinned, revealing a food-filled set of teeth. Oh, she was just too funny.

"Ever heard of a napkin, cuz?" Percy playfully jabbed at her.

Thalia tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Well, yes, but I was thinking about doing this." She wiped her mouth with her hand and innocently patted Percy's shirt with the grease. Startled, Percy fell into the pool.

"That's disgusting," Percy sputtered, as he emerged from underwater. Two blonde girls giggled at him, and turned to whisper to each other.

Thalia stuck out her tongue, "So?"

Percy splashed water towards her with incredible accuracy, soaking Thalia's top.

"Hey, that was new," she glared. The lights that hung above the backyard door began to flicker. One of the two light bulbs fell from their place and shattered on the ground, surprising a few bystanders.

Percy raised his eyebrows, "Did you just do that?"

"Of course not, I don't have psychic powers or anything," Thalia justified herself, confused.

"Okay, that's nice to know. Now give me a hand here? I wanna get out."

"There's a ladder, you know."

"But it's at the opposite end of the pool," Percy whined. Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, you're the best swimmer on the school swim team." Percy was a swimmer? He never told me that.

"... Fine," Percy muttered. After a few seconds of furiously swift body movements, he was climbing out of the pool, back onto land.

Let me tell you, Percy was definitely a distracting sight. His usual untamed hair hung loose over his sea green eyes. He removed his wet shirt in order for it to dry; exposing his athletic, fit body. I couldn't help but gawk at him. Oh gods, I sound like such a girl.

"Annabeth, you can close your mouth now," Percy grinned, now standing by Thalia. I blushed, embarrassed.

"Well, I'm just trying to process the fact that you looked much better with a shirt on," I replied coolly, concealing my embarrassment.

"I decided," Thalia laughed, putting her hand on my shoulder, "that I like you."

"See, what did I tell you?" Percy murmured, keeping his voice at a volume that only I could hear.

"Oh, you fortune teller, you," I rolled my eyes. For a few minutes, Percy and I stood silently side-by-side, listening to Thalia ramble on about how great the food was. We weren't really paying attention to her until she stopped speaking and shifted her eyes from us to someone behind us.

"Hey, Annabeth," Luke smiled. He positioned himself so that he was standing between Percy and I.

"Oh, hey, Luke," I replied, my heart skipping a beat or two. Percy tensed noticeably.

"I'll just leave you two alone, I guess," Percy tried to say nonchalantly, though it sounded a bit forced.

"Thanks, that's very kind of you," Luke said politely, unaware of Percy's unspoken discontent.

"Wait, Percy. Stay here," I offered. It was Luke's turn to tense up. Oh gods, what have I gotten myself into?

To make matters worse, Calypso, who appeared to have been searching for Percy, just had to show up and make our awkward situation even more awkward.

"Hi guys," she chirped, ignorantly, and then focused her conversation to Percy, "Did you try the food?"

Percy shook his head in response.

"The food will be gone soon, I suggest we hurry," and with that, Calypso grabbed Percy's hand and guided him away from Luke and I.

A foreign emotion swept over me - was it hate? No, it couldn't be. I didn't hate Calypso, she was too pleasant of a person to dislike.

Could it be jealousy? No, of course not. Why would I ever be jealous that Calypso just walked away with the most interestingly thick-headed boy in my class?

"Uh, Annabeth?" Luke began, "There's something I've been wanting to ask you." He scratched his head a bit.

At that moment, my cellphone rang. Although Beatrice's name appeared on my cellphone screen, my shoulders sagged with relief.

For some reason, I didn't want him to finish his sentence. I knew that I liked Luke, but I couldn't quite place my finger on which type of 'like' it was - the friendly kind or the romantic kind.

I put up my finger, requesting a pause in our conversation. Pressing the 'accept call' button, I braced myself for verbal abuse from my stepmother.

"Hello?"

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT HOME," Beatrice roared through the phone.

"You said that I could go."

"GO WHERE?"

"To Luke's party," I glanced at Luke; he seemed to be staring at me as if I developed another head.

"I specifically told you to escort them," she responded calmly, attempting to control her rage.

"Well, I think you were a little too vague on that."

"You're coming home right now."

"No."

"That's an extra week of dish washing."

"No," I repeated, but shakily this time.

"You're coming back or I'm sending you to a foster family across the nation."

I faltered. I knew that when Beatrice made threats, she really kept her word. And the strangest part is, I didn't want to leave. It was probably because I grew up in this town. No other reason - no single person could make me want to stay. Of course not.

Beatrice knew she had won, my silence proved her victory, "Come home within the next fifteen minutes. If I don't see you by then, I will consider setting you up for adoption."

She hung up.

"I'm sorry, Luke, but I have to go," I said, disappointed. He nodded, mutely and understandingly.

I glanced around the party once more and then landed my eyes on a distinguishably dark-haired boy about thirty feet away from me, filling himself with barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs. A familiar caramel-haired girl seemed to be animatedly conversing with him; although she was not getting any verbal responses from him. Well, too bad for him, I thought. He wouldn't be able to say goodbye to me.

And then I left.

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><p><strong>Sorry guys, I just have to keep you hanging on a cliff. But until next time, we'll see what happens. :D<strong>

**And I hope you guys accept my apology - I'm truly sorry for not being able to update.**

**Please review! And thanks for your support.**

**Thanks again,**

**Tina**


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